Career tips

We offer you some guidance and advice below which may be of use to you no matter if you are already an “experienced” candidate or new in this field.

Being at the start of your career, we know you have tons of unknowns in the upcoming application process. Preparation is thus vital for you success.

We have attached appropriate templates, which you can use in your CV and Cover Letters.

Take your time to sort out what your main qualities are – what you are really good at and what brings you satisfaction. Are you a person who enjoys the constant communication with people or you get quickly tired of this? Are you willing to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in the office or you prefer to work outdoor? Concentrate on your hard skills as well – for example if you are fluent in 2 or more languages, which industries might be interested in you? Your teachers and lecturers, your co-students at the university or the people from your closest personal entourage may give you a hand – ask them for a feedback on their impressions of your behavior in different situations.

When you decide on the type of business activity or the career area you will be more successful in, go on and make research. Go deeper in the internet resources and inform yourself on the specific industry or even companies that may offer you the development you desire. Explore the media – stay updated to the latest trends in this sector so that you know what to invest your time and efforts in. For example, if you are marketing-passionate, inform yourself about the new concepts of the marketing profession in the changing business environment. This will help you enhance certain knowledge, skills, gain specific qualification for success guarantee. The job sites may also be a good source for research about the market demand.

Think of the application process as an opportunity to develop your “self-selling and self-marketing” skills. You should start with your CV and Cover letter preparation. The application documents are your most powerful “marketing weapon” as it will help you get to the interview you want. The general rules for the application documents are as simple as this – the CV should not exceed 1 or 2 (maximum) pages, it should be concise, yet informative, it should also emphasize on your major strengths and speak about your motivation for the particular position. A Cover letter is always well-done when it is individual, tailored for the given company or position. A boring but important note: Check your spelling and formatting carefully – the content always comes after the “wrapping”. You can find our suggestions for a CV and a Cover letter attached to this section. Feel free to use them but don’t lose your identity and creativity.

Probably the most time-consuming stage in search of a job is sending or “Spreading around” your CV so that the employers you are interested in are aware that you are on the market. The first source for job opportunities are the job sites/portals – they provide useful search options to filter the offers of interest to you. Nevertheless, as easy as it may seem, it is better if you consider the following before pressing the “Apply button”:

read carefully the entire advertisement with attention to the location, requirements, development opportunities and the recommended way of application;

customize your Cover letter and even your CV;

prepare a short but polite email to the Hiring person or team, noted in the advertisement.

Try to avoid the following at this stage:

You apply for all advertised positions in the area and you don’t pay specific attention to any of them. When a recruiter calls you and you don’t remember the job profile or the name of the company you have applied for, imagine what their first thought would be regarding your motivation.

You use the same application documents for all vacancies as you don’t have the time to adjust them. Believe us, the recruitment specialists are definitely not enthusiastic about applications with another company name or position stated in them and this may be a valid criteria to reject your candidature. Pay attention to these “details”. In addition, often the job is advertised by a recruitment services company – in this case you are not applying for them but for their client.

Be creative – go beyond the conventional channels for job search. Think of and utilize other sources such as career centers, online professional networks, recruitment consultants (with Easy Consult on the top of your list), general applications to specific companies.

Finally, you receive a phone call/ email from the recruiter for invitation to a job interview. As this is the first direct contact with your potential employer be polite and positive over the phone; show your motivation through your voice. Don’t forget to ask and write down the name of the interviewer and the address of the company as well as contact details.

And when the interview is already confirmed and arranged.

Do:

Inform yourself about the company – via their website, media and your personal network of contacts. You can even get more familiar with their business as a whole. Reread the job advertisement for the position you apply for in order to define the questions you have.

Think about the dress code – try to adapt your clothing according to the company. If you apply for a Law office you should be formally dressed. On the other hand, if you apply for a production company for example your style should be more casual yet decent.

Before the interview you may read more on the topic – the web is full of such information. Consider also body language, hand shaking and appropriate behavior.

During the interview stay relaxed and positive. If you are nervous before the meeting, you can do what usually makes you feel at ease – for example do the sport you like, take a long walk or listen to your favorite music.

Stay focused. To specific questions, concrete answers are required. It makes a good impression when the candidate is giving examples and precise information to justify a certain skill or knowledge.

At the end of the interview (or when you are given the chance) ask the questions you have regarding the position, the company or the application process itself. However, be careful and don’t ask questions just for the sake of asking – they should really bring you new information and be adequate for the situation.

At the end of the interview, leave the contact open. Ask the interviewer for the next step – when, who and how the next contact should be made.

DON'T:

Be late – the day before the interview you should find the address and plan in advance sufficient time to get to the office.

Arrive too early at the office – if you are 10 minutes earlier, it is not a big deal. If it is more, you may take a walk around the office, get to the closest shop or just wait outside for a while.

Overreact – the forced motivation or the fake enthusiasm is always visible for an experienced interviewer. Wait for your time during the interview to express your interest in the position.

Be negative even if you think this will “market” you better. For example, speaking in a negative way for your previous employer, university or generally about the labor market is never a good idea during an interview.

Be pressed by time during the interview. If you have a limited time for the meeting, it is better to inform the interviewer at the beginning instead of looking at your watch constantly.

We hope that these general rules, tips and tricks will help you in your way to career success.

However, as we believe in the personal approach to our candidates, each of our recruiters will be open to give you more directions and advice for your successful presentation to the employer.

In this section you can also find our sample CV and Cover letter. In order to illustrate their relevancy in a real situation they have been prepared in the context of a recruitment campaign for Office Manager.